


Not A Fighter

by heartSelect



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gender-neutral Reader, No Smut, Slow Burn, what even r tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-14
Updated: 2017-04-14
Packaged: 2018-10-18 17:22:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10621581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartSelect/pseuds/heartSelect
Summary: You grew up learning how to read people.When you suddenly got caught up in the middle of two events that aided in getting criminals caught, you certainly got the attention of heroes but what you didn't expect, after an abrupt visit, was to get the attention of a supposedly dead god.(I'm not good with summaries)





	1. Instincts

You were walking around the deck of the cruise that you managed to get yourself into thanks to the father of your bestfriend, Myrra. You got invited, not because you were important or were interested in the ongoing party but because you helped out on solving a case about some scam and illegal doings which your friend's brother got blamed for even though he didn't do anything.

You became a witness since you spent a lot of time in their house and you somehow caught a maid acting very nervous and suspicious about the whole ordeal when the police(they looked a bit different from your local police though) suddenly came in. You told them what you knew (which was basically nothing) along with the others but when the maid you saw gave her testimony, you just _knew_ she was lying and you pushed further on her statement. After a while, she finally gave out, told everyone it was her doing with a few other workers and they were all taken to by the police to be further interrogated later since there were still some plot holes in her statements. Your friend's family apologized about getting you into the mess and invited you to an event on a cruise which you were going to decline until Myrra and her brother showered you with gratitude and basically begged on their knees for you to come.

So now, you're here, walking around, lost, at the large cruise. You somehow got separated from Myrra because some rich people dragged her away and you were about to follow her but at some point you lost her and now you're just roaming around, looking at the scenery, at the people and just look as normal as possible(And by normal, I mean, not look so astounded because you've never been on a ship). You weren't rich, no, you don't even have any known knowledge about being someone with that much money! You've dreamed of it, yeah, but you were more than content with the life you've chosen so far.

Leaning over the railing, you look up the clouds and sighed. What were you to do now? As you thought to yourself on how to find Myrra on the ship, you managed to eavesdrop on a conversation. They were both females. One of them called out the other, introducing themselves, telling them something you didn't know anything about. You looked over your shoulder to take a look.

_She’s lying._

You glanced at the two. You could see the face of the woman who got called out. She had red hair, fair complexion and looked just as rich as everyone else. She seemed rather tense and alert but her face showed calmness. You couldn't read her easily _._ Though, that wasn't the thing that was bothering you. The other woman, who's back was turned to you, was still spurting out lies.

You stood straight, and started walking. As you passed them, you placed your hand on shoulder of the red haired woman. She stiffened a bit, getting a bit more alert.

" _I don’t recommend trusting someone who lies, you know."_ You whispered to her. You looked  at the other woman who had a confused smile plastered to her face from the corner of your eye but she tensed. You shook your head, patted the woman's shoulder then continued walking.

_"What was that?"_

_"... Nothing. What were you saying?"_

You didn't know why you did it.

_'It was just instinct I guess'_

_======_

_"_ There you are! C'mon, Mom's calling for us" Myrra said, taking you by the arm and dragging you to a table. After the odd scenario with the women, you didn't exactly know where you were heading since you just started walking to that direction so that you can pass them and you just continued walking and somehow ended up in the main hall or room or whatever you call it. It was great relief to you that {bf/n} was in there because you weren't exactly sure if you can handle being alone in a place full of strangers without anywhere to escape to for too long.

She brought you to a table where her family sat and you all ate and chatted. You honestly felt like you were a part of the family but it still didn't feel like home... But it was nice to still be able to feel like you belong somewhere, even if it was just for a while, even if you didn't exactly belong completely.

You talked for a bit more, the dinner already gone and finished. Myrra's father was telling a story of how one of his competitive employees managed to embarrass himself in a presentation. He didn't exactly get to finish his story and, honestly, who would when a gunshot was just fired and gas started fogging up everywhere. The gas didn't have any effects (yet), it just made it really hard to see and a bit harder to breath. Everyone was starting to panic and just screaming loudly about how scared they were. Your table also got chaotic and you heard a thud nearby. You were getting kind of anxious and panicked too but you still managed to stay calm. You started telling everyone to calm down and stop panicking. You  _really_  didn't know what you were doing but if no one's going to take action then you gotta at least try, right?

After a while of you calling out with some help, everyone finally began to calm down but the gas begun to get thicker as seconds pass. You walked around, with Myrra following, locating where you heard the ' _thud'_ sound only to find a man lying on the floor, his shoulder bleeding. A woman knelt beside him asking for help but nobody seemed to hear her.

You called put again asking for medical help. Someone finally came in and once you made sure that they can handle it, you suddenly shouted for them to go open the doors, windows, anything. You heard patted footsteps then some bashing sound.

"It isn't opening!" Someone shouted. ' _Isn't opening? But aren't these doors locked from the inside? Unless...'_

Some people started panicking again so you called out again for them to calm down. You managed to get to one of the doors leading outside. This one was a single door, unlike the others. You started twisting the doorknob. Locked?

Now, at this point, you were just as confused as every guy in the hall. You backed away from the door, bumping into Myrra. She smiled at you, making her way to the door and with one swift kick, the handle came off. She then started messing around with the lock, a click was heard, then door was pulled open. You shouted for everyone to calm down and try to get out of the room as orderly as possible before anyone gets suffocated by the thickening gas.

You rushed out but before you could even take 5 steps, the woman from before slammed you against the wall. She had her arm forcing you to the wall by the neck.

"Who exactly are you?" She sternly asked, sounding more like a command rather than a question. But before you could answer, Myrra came out the door.

“ _What do you think you’re doing_?” she seethed. Man, one thing you never want is to get on her bad side. She stepped forward and you saw the lady with red hair look away, listening before letting you go. Myrra rushed to you. “Are you okay?”

You gave her a smile as she took hold of your face and tilting your chin up. She gave a tsk. “That’s going to hurt— I should’ve never—“

“Hey, it’s fine. I’ve been through worse.”  you reassured her and she agve you a sad smile. You then looked up to the red haired woman. She was looking around her, clicking her tongue before suddenly storming off. Before she could get too far, you told Myrra to go back to her family to see if they're okay which she agreed to do, grumbling while you went to the direction the woman was heading.

You finally managed to catch up while the people started piling put and occupying the deck.

"H-hey!" You called out to the woman.

"What do you want?" She said, still looking around. She stopped for a moment, listening, muttering under her breath.

"You wanted to know who I am right?"

"This is no longer your business"

"My name is ______ (Last name). I can help you but you need to introduce yourself first..." She narrowed her eyes at you for a moment, analyzing you. "You don't trust me do you?... I am telling you I can help you,  _just tell me your name."_ You said sternly.

She brought her hand up, "Laura Matthers" she stated firmly making you almost believe it was the truth. 

 _Almost_. 

You shook her hand, replying as calmly as you could .

" _How about your real name?"_

She retracted her hand, wavering, unsure on trusting you or not. "So who exactly are you looking for?" She turned her back, muttering again. You finally guessed she had an earpiece because of the muttering and a few times putting her hand up to her ear.

"No one you should be concerned off. They're probably most likely gone, too... Look why don't you..."

"It's the woman from before, isn't it?" You said looking around.

"No, I told you, this is none of your--" you cut her off, walking to a random rich guy in a suit and simply asked "Do you know any suspicious looking people?... Um... You know... The people who caused this chaos?"

There was a very tiny pause before he answered. Tiny but long enough for you to feel his nervousness. "N-no, look, I have somewhere else to b--" before he could finish his statement, you had already brought up your knee in a swift move under his belt, causing him to fall on the floor, curling up in pain.

‘Laura’ went up to you, grabbing your arm. "What do you think you're doing? Do you think this is some game—"

"This is your guy. _"_ You told her quickly as you felt your arm starting to hurt in her grip. “ _Trust me_ ” you finished, looking straight to her eyes.

It baffled you how audacious you are today. It seemed so unlike you. It was bringing you to the edge and you didn't like it. Both you and 'Laura' looked down to man on the floor. She looked up at you, letting you go. She talked into her earpiece, kneeling down to the man.

"... I think we'll be needing some back up."

  
+~+Time Skip+~+

It's been a week since the last incident and 2 weeks since the scam at your friend's house/mansion. After the whole kicking the guy where the sun never shines event, 'Laura' managed to make the guy spit out the information she needed which was the location where the bad guys were regrouping at. After getting there, back up swiftly came and you witnessed a lot of people get arrested and get shot. You even saw one of the workers from your friend's house in there.

Thankfully, you weren't injured or hurt in anyway and right now, you were taking a break for a bit, sitting on the couch, (favorite drink) in hand, ready to do some more movie marathons. Just as you were about to press play, a knock resounded on your door.

Long story short, Nick Fury was there telling you to come with him to SHIELD because of your performance from the ship. The assessment that 'Laura' or Natasha  as she finally introduced herself, had about you said that 'detecting lies might not be her only power' and, of course, you were a bit confused about that. The 'detecting lies', you knew about it but never treated it as a power. It was a simple people reading. What other things had you done on that cruise to make them think you had more?

They said they'll be debriefing you then that they'll be keeping watch on you for a while. But, to you, it didn't exactly made sense on why you were getting put with the Avengers but nonetheless, you still accepted the offer. You honestly expected yourself to just be shrugged off with your abilities and the being able to see through lies since anyone could easily do it if they knew what they had to do. Manipulation is an easy thing to do, most people even do it without even knowing. And if you did get noticed, the best place you could be assigned to would be something connected to interrogations but you certainly did not expect to be one of the Avengers. Not until they've found out and told you that you actually do have more powers.

They most likely couldn't let you go after what you did on that cruise but you were also pretty darn sure that they also didn't trust you as much because of what you did on that cruise.

It was clear to you when you got there that you were just there as some sort of a babysitter to everyone due to the fact that arguments have been popping up between the team and your ability to easily read people and manipulate certain things seemed to help quite a bit. Even The Other Guy hasn't come out in a month. Nope. Not even a hint of green overtaking the scientist. Not under your watch.

In a course of a few weeks, you were able to know the guys much better and bonded with them. When you were first introduced to the guys, you felt the strong tension in the atmosphere. Once you managed to calm that down, they began to lighten up and work as a team. Seeing how good you were managing the group, Fury assigned you full time with them. You were honestly okay with that, seeing how once the tension is removed, they seemed to act as a family rather than just a team, knowing what just the other guys feel like doing like play pranks or just have a simple movie night. And, of course, everyone was okay with having you as a new part of the team(even though you actually don't go on missions). You finally felt a bit at home.

You didn't live in Stark Tower unlike the others so you always had to walk about 3 blocks to get there every morning and going home at about midnight (with one of them assisting you, of course, since you still didn't know much about combat).

You just got out of the elevator and went to the kitchen area to make yourself some coffee and join the others for breakfast when an explosion occurred by the living room. Fragments of broken glass were scattered all over the floor along with some debris as dust blocked you and the Avengers from seeing who or what had done the damage.

Everyone took their stance. Clint got his bow ready (he had a mission in the afternoon so he was fixing it up), Natasha took out a gun out of no where, Steve got on defense, calling out to see if everyone was okay, Thor stood tall, ready to call out Mjolnir if needed, and Bruce and you backed away knowing you wouldn't be much help as of yet. You heard a faint noise from down stairs, guessing that it was Tony ready to go up and see what in the world was going on.

The dust cleared out a bit and Thor was first to speak.

"Brother."

The man walked forward, everyone got ready to attack. The room was just silent now. No more faint noises below. The part of the living room that was in pieces no longer broke chunks of rock, just tiny little dust. Just breathing.

Loki emerged from the rubble, holding the scepter. It amazed you that even after the incident with aliens, he still had the guts to come back and most likely fight and take revenge. You didn't trust him, no one in this room does, but for some reason you didn't exactly want to fight him head on either. You felt something… off. You don’t know what nor where you sure but you trusted it. You’re rarely wrong on what you read of people.

He raised the scepter, firing a blue energy blast straight at the Avengers. It hit close to  you and Bruce, throwing you both back while the others take action. Natasha hurried to Bruce, making sure he doesn't turn into the Hulk and destroy everything. You, on the other hand, managed to sit up, pain spreading in your hip. You hissed, never really being one to have a high pain tolerance.

Natasha is still calming Bruce down, Clint was trying to make do with the limited arrows he had by getting Loki's attention while Steve and Thor take turns in fighting him. You wondered where Tony had gone but another blast was created from the scepter that went straight to Thor causing him to get thrown out from the building. Mind you, his hammer still hasn't made it to him just yet but you heard very faint humming and that was enough of a reason to think it he'll do just fine. Loki fired a few blasts again to the others, then glancing to the closest person to probably use and brainwash. To your stupid luck, the closest person was you.   
He narrowed his eyes at you for a moment, seeing how you weren't fighting him but just glaring. He stepped forward once to you before he was cut off.

"Party's over, Reindeer Games, cause you did not invite me."

Tony flew from the outside, firing his repulsors at Loki which he fought back using the scepter. One of his beams managed to hit the scepter from the God of Mischief's hand, blasting it away and making it land not very far from you. Tony, thinking that the fight was over, landed only to be frozen by a blue box-thing that Loki brought out. His skin color started to change to blue and you would have been terrified if you could.

At the moment, you weren't exactly sure what to do. Everyone was down, Thor was outside probably still falling and Nat is trying to calm Bruce down from a distance since no one really wants a raging Hulk at 8:30 in the morning

Key word,  _trying._ He was slightly turning green from your view but it was slow and you want to keep it that way knowing for a fact that he'll be ramming straight to the God that is now nearing you and you  _do not_  want to get involved in a fight with Hulk. Even if it's just to observe. Being too close in a room way up in the sky with the Hulk does not give you reassurance.

So, you did what your gut told you to do. _Get the scepter_. Both you and Loki glanced at the scepter. You crawled to the scepter as fast as you could, the pain by your hip slowing you down while Loki hurried on getting it first. Before he could reach it, Thor came hurtling towards him and you touched the scepter.

And at that moment, time seemed to stop.

You weren't sure what you were expecting but it was far from what you had ever thought to feel. You thought you would feel power, maybe a bit evil or maybe just the same, yet the only emotion you received was an overwhelming feeling of betrayal and mistrust. Your breath hitched and you felt another wave of sadness consume you. Betrayal, mistrust, sadness, pain, and fear. You felt your own heart ache.

Because of the overwhelming emotions, you didn't notice yourself standing up and walking. The brothers continued their fight, only for Loki to stab Thor with a dagger after Thor got deceived by an illusion. Loki turned to you, your eyes in a daze, walking straight to the edge still holding the scepter. Thor called out to Loki and you snapped out of your daze and stopped walking right before you fell off the tower.

You turned, the emotions from before still lingered. You looked straight to the blue eyes of the God of Mischief, expecting all too well for him to give you a glare, trick you or at least order you with authority to give him the scepter but you received nothing of those. All you saw was surprise. Time still felt slow to you but something was happening.

You saw Loki run. Not from you but  _to_  you.

' _Why?'_ You thought and that's when the throbbing in your head registered. Pain. That was all you felt. Nothing but pain. You stumbled back, falling over the edge. Hugging the scepter close to you, your eyes slid shut with tears pricking them. Your head felt like it was getting smashed into a wall repeatedly and  _it hurts_.

A whimper came out of your lips, wishing it would all just end and you knew it would. You felt the resistance of air as you fell but what you didn't expect was for someone to hold you close. The fall continued for a few more seconds, the person holding you turned so that he was below you.

Everything after that was a bit of a blur. You heard screaming and sirens. The throbbing stopped and you opened your eyes. You saw the God of Mischief holding you close. Green eyes looked at yours solemnly.

He saw it before both of you plummeted. The look in your eyes. It wasn't hatred, anger or pity. All he saw was a caring, kind look but what got him most was the pure and innocent admiration you gave to him when he glanced at you. As if he was the hero and as he looked into your tiring eyes, your eyes still managed to give off the same emotion.

" _Why?"_ You asked quietly, laying your head on his chest as you eyes grew more tired.   
The pain in your body feeling worse. This is surely going to leave a bruise.

With the grip on the scepter loosening, you weren’t exactly sure how to react. Being in the arms of god who just tried to invade earth with aliens would've been terrifying for anyone but you felt conflicted of the fact that he jumped and saved you from plummeting to your death. Of course, you thought it was the scepter but he could've just gotten it from you midway and left you to die or just kill you now but nothing of the sort still happened and you honestly couldn't care less. He just held you close, making the invitation for sleep more prominent.

The feeling you felt from the god was more vivid now but before you could put your finger on what that feeling was, your mind finally gave up to sleep, barely registering the reply Loki gave. 

" _I... I do not know. It was instincts... I guess..."_


	2. Locked in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the fiasco, you are returned by Loki and babying ensues.

Standing up, Loki held you close in his arms. You were still unconscious, still holding tight to the scepter, still giving him the fading feeling of greatness. He felt something churn inside him. It wasn't bad. It wasn't familiar to him but it felt... _different_.

He didn't feel overwhelming power, instead, he actually felt  _vulnerable_. It was odd. He had always thought that greatness was feeling powerful and high, yet he had felt  _greatness_  but  _utterly and completely_  vulnerable when he saw the look in your eyes that were directed to him.

He looked down to your face. Your (h/c) hair, dishevelled. The hair tie that held your hair up now gone. A bleeding cut resided by your temple. Your face and clothes were dirtied with the pavement dust and as the world became loud with screaming people and blaring sirens,  _all he could focus on was **you**_. The scepter didn't seem to matter anymore nor did his initial goal of vengeance to his brother.

 _It was just you_... 

_And he did not know why._

====

" _How were you able to do it?"_

Your voice cut through the silence that occupied the area. After falling about a hundred floors from the tower, Loki had taken both of you somewhere safe. A sanctuary of his. He had stumbled upon it after falling into that wormhole after the bridge was broken by the God of Thunder. It was in the middle of a forest with a stream with old ruins nearby. 

He had placed you on a make shift bed of leaves which was ,you must admit, rather comfortable. The place seemed so surreal. So fantasy like. Rubbles of marble stone lie scattered near, the glistening sun beams that pass through the canopy of leaves made the forest look mysterious and breath-taking, and the faint relaxing sound of nature fitted itself perfectly to the place. It was like an illustration from a storybook come to life.

Loki was bandaging a wounded part of your arm when you had asked him the question. He had taken your (f/c) hoodie off of you (you had a shirt underneath, of course) earlier to see if you had any more bruises to check up to. He was caught off-guard by you speaking since he thought you were still unconscious but he still acted calm, unfazed.

"Do what?"

"Be able to live with all that. I felt it. I know it was from you" You gazed softly at Loki who was still focused on finishing bandaging your arm. "Lied to and betrayed... Not very good parenting in my opinion." You noticed him stop for a second, glancing up to look at you. You sighed, breaking eye contact, looking up the canopy leaves that sheltered you "But you still genuinely care for them..."

He stayed silent, continuing on fixing up your arm. "... Yet, you weirdly hate them at the same time. You know, Loki, I admire how you were able to keep your sanity after all that. I would've started hurting myself probably..."

Before you could continue the one-sided conversation, Loki finally cut you off. "To be honest, I no longer know if I'm sane or not,"

"But at least you're sane enough to not be sure if you're sure or not about your sanity...sometimes, Loki— _Ow!"_ You flinched. He had gently poked your side, knowing that there must've been some sort of bruise that formed after the first blast.

"Can you sit up?" He asked. You nodded, the look of pain in your face, not really going away. Loki then stood up, telling you he'll get some sort of ointment to put on the darkening bruise and any others that you might have. After he was out of sight because of the remaining ruin walls, you began to sit yourself up, groaning. He came back, holding a flask. He poured some kind of liquid in his and he ask you to lift your shirt up so he can rub the ointment. You did what you were told, hesitantly, lifting your shirt up, only for the darkening bruise to show.

"... Are you afraid?" Loki asked quietly. You stared at him for second, surprised by his question then sighed.

"No... I would be if I could... You don't know me, yes? I don't believe you know me."

"I believe not. Who are you exactly? I do not remember you with the others when... I had tried to conquer." Loki's voice quivered for a split second, barely noticeable but it was there. His tone was filled with regret and guilt... Is he repenting?

"That's because I wasn't there. I'm ______. I came in a few weeks ago... Dealing with some things with the team—" you flinched again because Loki pushed a bit too much pressure on the bruise, "I was also there for them to keep watch of me." Loki glanced at you, curious. "You have powers?"

"Honestly... I’m not really sure but they think I’m a good asset either way so they took me in.” you answered, being careful with your words to not give too much away (even though you already said enough earlier to give him a clue). You may be able to read him now and he looked vulnerable and slightly frail but there was still a very small part of...maliciousness and you didn't like that. It didn't even feel like it was a part of him either. It seemed ready to burst in the slightest of summoned hatred from Loki. Like it was waiting to be fed so that it can burst and consume more.  
He stopped rubbing ointment on your hip and moved on to your left leg  where a purple bruise resides. You were still looking at Loki who seemed to be contemplating something.

"... Are they like the heroes they are?" You smiled at his question. Sinister he may have been, he was still misunderstood and grew up feeling lonely and inferior to others. His voice seemed so doubtful, cautious of...just everything. The emotions you were reading right now seemed so honest and true, too. It seemed a bit surreal, all this really. The God of Mischief from another realm called Asgard who had tried to conquer your planet,  _Midgard_ by forming some sort of alliance/contract with beings/aliens that weren't even from your universe/cosmo tree thing was aiding and nursing a person who he barely knows and is a part of the people who had defeated him and had just suddenly asked a very innocent question... Now that isn't really a story you hear or experience every day, is it?

"No, they're not. To me, they're nothing but...poeple. Even your... _brother_..?” he nodded slightly but not halting on treating your calf. “Normal people with feelings. They doubt, cry, laugh,  _love,_ do stupid things. I do those things too! It's–It's amazing... being people"

"But you Midgards have been known for being weak, always aided by those stronger yet you are perfectly happy with where you stand?"

"Well, I guess that's because we're weak and that we have come to accept that very fact but yet after God knows how long, we're still here, standing strong and brave but still invariably  _weak_..." You paused, thinking of the emotions you had felt while you had plummeted "... I guess it's better for us knowing that if we ever lose a fight, we know we probably had it coming rather than be strong and be just as worthy of the victory, maybe even more, but still inevitably lose..."

Your words made him stop for a brief moment. He stared into your eyes as though he was completely baffled your words (which he obviously is, let's be honest). You had just described his days in the briefest way possible yet still holding on to that wisdom like and sincere tone. Silence followed shortly after.

After a while, he stopped rubbing the ointment, putting the flask aside.

"You should rest..." He paused "If you wish, I can return you to them." Obliging, you laid down again, saying a silent thank you. You didn't argue, there was no point to it if you already knew he wasn't lying.

"Say, Loki, you never really answered my question" you said, feeling drowsy.

"That is because I do not know the answer..."

"Well, that's okay" you closed your eyes but still continued speaking "... And since you saved me and I don't have anything at the moment, why don't I make a promise to you?"

"And what is this promise you're offering to me?"

_"I will do everything I can to never let anyone make you feel that way again..."_

  
=+= _Time skip =+=_  


A few hours had already passed since the skirmish. Fury let the team off the grid for the day or the next few to rest for a bit and take a breather. The team all grouped up down to the lab after they had bandaged themselves up. Bruce didn't Hulk out and everyone only got a few minor bruises but that still didn't change the fact that you were gone.

By the time Thor got Tony unfrozen, the two of you had already vanished. Steve tried asking the police officers that were already there but all they said to him was that a bright light formed around you two then you were gone. Tony hacked into surveillance cameras near where the two of you plummeted only to find out that the officer was right. They didn't have any clue on where the God of Mischief had taken the both of you and everyone was worried. You may have been a new addition to the team but you already felt like family to them. You were always able to get to the bottom of things when they had arguments. Being simple and open-minded, you were always able to see what was the initial problem and how to fix it. You even promised them that you would do what you can to not use your ability to influence and manipulate emotion to them unless it was an emergency and you did.

You did your best to give time to each of the team members. Maybe ten minutes or maybe an hour, it didn't matter to you nor did it matter to them. They all like the time you would spend with each of them, a moment where they can just feel human, a normal person. Not a hero, not a god, nor a genius, a spy, a killer nor a monster. Just a normal person who probably needs a break and have some childish fun where you make jokes, play board games and do silly things. Your small efforts to say good morning when you come in or say good night when you leave to everyone even if they were all in different rooms and all these became a routine that, right at that moment, they weren't exactly sure if they could live without. It would feel empty. Hollow.

"What do you think he's after now?" Bruce suddenly asked, looking away from the monitor that showed the footage of Loki teleporting, taking you with him. It's been like this for the past hour. Eyes glued to tablets, screens, holograms, searching and waiting for any information about where you could be.

"I'm more concerned about how he got the scepter back" Clint pointed out.

"I thought he was dead... I saw him die." Thor stated his thoughts. Still not believing that  _his brother is alive_... But also a bit angered that he had just hurt his friends.

"Reindeer games must have done some voodoo magic to trick you into thinking he was dead and get the thing. Say, Point break, does your brother ever get tired of being repeatedly defeated or is he a closet masochist or something?" Tony said, modifying his suit after it being frozen knowing they wouldn't exactly get any useful leads. He tried, he did, but no traces, no anything. Just a footage of you disappearing. That was it.

"Do not speak so lowly of my brother. He—" Thor tried to defend Loki but was cut off by Tony.

"He's what? Adopted? Misunderstood? A lunatic?.. Thor, he tried invading earth. Endangering hundreds – no, all of the lives on this planet and probably every other planet and realm out there, do you really think we're gonna let Reindeer games take and hurt _______ and have the possibility to repeat the process?"

"But for what reason does he need ______ for?" Natasha said.

"For brainwashing, maybe, but my guess is to use her as bait" Clint suggested.

"Bait or not, ______'s still out there, probably getting tortured or something and we have no clue where she is," Bruce said.

"That's why we wait. If it's gonna be bait, he's gonna have to give us some sort of information where —" Steve started to speak but was cut of by Tony

"Wait... Bait? Why bait? Why does the lunatic need Doll face to become a bait, even going so far to catch her from the fall?" Tony said, pausing at what he was doing then going to Banner and replaying the footage, his eyes becoming analytic. He ran to a different monitor, muttering to himself.

"Wasn't ______ holding the scepter when she fell? Maybe that's his reason" Natasha pointed out.

"No, no, no ,no. There must be another reason. He's the God of Mischief, Lord of all Liars, Son of Secrets,  _Lie-Smith...._ And he knows magic so getting the scepter could have been done easier without the need to save ____. There must be a catch."

"What are you on to, Brother Anthony?" Thor asked. He and everyone got Tony's point about Loki supposedly having another reason for saving you but he didn't understand why he suddenly became so wired up.

"Don't you get it. Rock of Ages could've easily just let _____ plummet to her doom and have ourselves fight over it again. We must've missed something. JARVIS, can you get me footage before and during the fight... I need to get a closer look."

"As you wish, sir" JARVIS politely responded.

Whilst the genius, playboy, billionaire, philanthropist was going around the room getting the surveillance together, Clint was listening closely to a peculiar humming sound.

He stood up from where he sitting, walking and stopping by the stairs. "I thought Fury said we were off the grid." Bruce looked confused at Clint and Tony and everyone else stopped at what they were doing "We are... Why?"

"Then who's—"

_Ding!_

"– at the elevator..."

"JARVIS, surveillance." Tony ordered the AI leaving behind the footage he asked for earlier.

"Right away, sir. I believe Thor's brother, Loki, has come back with Ms ______ with him."

With the AI's response, Natasha, Steve and Thor looked at each other before rushing up. Clint walked closer to where Tony standing and observing the live footage. Bruce got the First Aid Kit from somewhere and set it by the table, not going up just yet and just going to where Clint and Tony was, also observing the live footage. On the screen, they saw Loki getting out of the elevator with you in his arms.

From upstairs, Loki had laid you down on one of the nearest couches, all bandaged up. As Thor, Natasha and Steve got up from below, Loki got the scepter out which made Nat and Steve take on a defensive stance while Thor stood guard up front. Loki just looked at them, raising the scepter, the blue gem glowing brighter. Thor opened his hand, threatening to call out Mjolnir, and you stirred from your slumber. You tugged on Loki's armor, looking at him through drowsy, half lidded eyes but only for a moment. You closed them once again, you shook your head, turning to your side to go back to sleep , saying something to the others.

"No point battling. You're only hurting yourself and making it worse."

At this, the three avengers looked at each other and hesitantly relaxed their stance while Thor stepped forward. The scepter in Loki's hand dimmed its light and Loki set it by your side. Loki kept eye contact to his brother, his hands up, backing away slowly.

From down below, Clint glanced at Tony. "Was this the catch you were talking about?" Looking back to the screen, Clint said a bit amused but otherwise watchful of Loki's actions. 

"More or less... "

"_____ seems fine. She's all bandaged up by the looks of it. Do you think Loki actually did anything horrid to her?" Bruce asked.

"Well, we'll just have to wait until _____'s fully awake." Clint replied, looking away from the screen and heading to the stairs. "I'm gonna go ahead and join them. Bruce you should head up, too.  Go see if ______ is actually as fine as she looks." And with that, Clint headed up with Bruce following shortly after, bringing the First aid kit with him.

Back in the slightly cleaner but still wrecked floor, Thor was still staring at Loki with alertness, confusion and anger. "I... Everyone thought you were dead. Why have you come back, Loki?"

"To return your little pawn. Are you not please that I have come back... That I have finally done something right?" Loki replied with amusement and venom in his tone.

"As much as I am glad that you have brought back Lady _____, we still do not trust you." Thor

"Of course not. No one does, isn't that right? Do you really think I do not know that?" Loki spat, his once raised hands now balled to fists to his sides.

"Why did you attack us before? Why did you come back?" Steve finally barged in to the conversation.

"Vengeance?" Natasha took a guess and the room fell silent for a moment as Clint and Bruce regrouped with the three Avengers.

Loki glanced at your sleeping form, eyes softening a little then looking back up to his brother and the other Avengers and finally answering, "The same reason why you have stayed in this realm, in Midgard..."

"What do you mean?" Thor was confused. Did his brother want to protect Midgard too? Why so suddenly? He got his answer when he saw Loki, once again, glance at your form but his look lingering a bit longer than before. Loki took a breath, stepping back and looking over each of the Avengers. He smirked.

"Well, look at the time, I must get going..." Loki turned around, heading for the elevator. No one moved, they just watched Loki board the now open elevator and as the doors of the lift closed, he spoke softly.

"But I promise you, I will come back"

Everyone was... Surprised for there was no malice in his voice. Just a soft spoken promise and they all felt that it wasn't directed at them, nor did it feel like he was gonna come back to attack. It seemed like he was just gonna... return but they didn't know to whom.

Tony suddenly spoke, coming up from the stairs. "Reindeer games' already out of the building, he left after he took his first step back... Do you want me to keep tabs on him or what?"

"I don't think it's necessary..." Thor said

"Coming from you, you probably already did." Steve stated, his eyes still lingering on the elevator doors.

"Okay, first of all. I did not and probably never will, I let JARVIS do those things and two, I don't take orders Capsicle. I just like asking questions so I can mock you later of how much authority you have over me."

  
-+- Time skip -+-  
  


"I told you I'm fine! I was not brainwashed, he didn't do anything to me and I did not know him before the battle so stop treating me like I'm an... An 0-8-4 or something!" You yelled with annoyance. It's been a few days and everyone had become cautious with you and it was getting annoying. After Loki left, the Avengers had a talk and they all agreed to finally let you stay in the Tower to protect and keep watch of you and you obliged since you knew they mean well but after a while, they've been crossing the line to the point that you've just consulted into locking yourself in your room.

Your room was colored a pastel (color) with a bed by the wall, a big desk with a laptop, papers, sketchpads, two phones, a tablet and a bunch of writing, color and art materials laid on top, a closet door, posters and frames were hanging on the wall and a couple of shelves filled with books and comics and it all felt just like home. Though, there is one thing in your room that you had specifically requested to be there; the scepter. It took a while to convince them but you managed, of course, you didn't use your ‘ability’ to persuade them (you still didn’t believe it’s an ability).

You were down at the lab to get something when Tony came in with Steve talking about not being sure if you were alright or not but before Tony could explain why, you became infuriated and lashed out and that's when hell basically broke loose. Not a lot of people see you angry, oh no, seeing you angry was would've been a once in lifetime opportunity for anyone.

Then the elevator gave a resounding chime.

“Oi _____! I’m here,” a familiar voice called out and you gave a sigh of relief. You ignored the confused looks the two gave while you rushed upstairs. Once Myrra was in your sight, your frustration seemed to go away in an instant and you couldn’t help yourself but tackle her. It’s almost been a month since you last saw her and you missed having her around.

“Miss me?” she laughed as she hugged you back. “This place looks cool.” she said as you let go of her and looked around. She noticed Natasha and her demeanor changed. “It’s you.”

Nat raised an eyebrow before smiling slyly, “What brings you here?”

“Here to pick up my best friend.” Myrra responded with a smile, a hint of distaste behind her words. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t feel the growing tension. It only grew when the Tony and Steve finally came up from the lab. “I heard you’ve been locking her in.”

“What do you mean picking her up?” Steve asked stepping forward. Myrra stepped forward you, going between you and the Avengers. Myrra. Always so protective.

“____, go get your things.” she quietly told you and you nodded before heading to your room. You’re glad Clint and Thor were on a mission and Bruce didn’t come up. You didn’t want them fighting at all but you just had to get out. You were sick of staying in your room. You weren’t even doing your old task anymore of helping them, they were just babying you.

“She’s gonna stay with me for a while until you stop acting like you’re her prison guards.” Myrra said, her smile dropping.

“And what makes you think we’re just going to—“

“She’s coming with me, “ Myrra’s tone dropping, seething in anger. You came back, carrying a shoulder bag filled with clothes worth for a few days. “Whether you approve or not.”

She stepped back, pulling you with her to the elevator. As it opened and both of you stepped in, Tony finally spoke up.

“If anything happens to her, we’re blaming it on you.”

“Feel free, sweetheart.” Her smile coming back, as if daring them to stop you.

You reminded yourself again, never get on her bad side.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated and feel free to tell me if anything is amiss.

**Author's Note:**

> This was initially written in Deviantart but I put it on hold for 2 years because I didn't know how to continue it and got scared of making it to long but I'm back writing it again and hopefully I can advance. Sorry if the writing style isn't consistent, it's been two years, bear with me. Also, don't expect the chapters to always be this long, I did't even know how I was able to write this long but yeah. 
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed this! Kudos and Comments are greatly appreciated and feel free to tell me if anything is amiss!


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